


Flower Crowns and Starbucks

by Uriellyodd



Category: Black Veil Brides, Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: AU, Bullying, Cafes, Coffee, Fluff, Gay, Homophobic Slurs, I suck at tagging okay, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, No Smut, Pastel!Kellin, SO GAY, Slight Violence, blood mention?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2018-12-10 17:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11696922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uriellyodd/pseuds/Uriellyodd
Summary: Vic and Kellin go to seperate schools. Kellin's the gay pastel kid who works at a Starbucks after school. Vic's coming out has him constantly bullied. But hey, everyone needs coffee.





	1. School

**Author's Note:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here :) I hope y'all like my first chaptered fic. Every read, comment, and kudos left is greatly appreciated by this smol bean. Thank you so much for giving this work a chance! Have a great day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! This is my first chaptered fic, so I hope you enjoy :)

Kellin's phone rang, startling him out of his sleep. "Hello?" he asked, groggily.  
"Kellin, get your adorable ass down here, the bus is about to come!"  
It was Sandy, Kellin's best friend. "Okay, okay," said Kellin, with a yawn. After hanging up, he checked the time on his phone and immediately gives a yelp, eyes going wide. He shoves on some sweatpants, a tee, and a flower crown (because why the hell not).  
After grabbing his backpack and phone, Kellin ran out the door, skipping breakfast in an effort to not miss the high school bus.  
Sandy met him at the bus stop just as it pulled up. "Kellin, girl, you need to start waking up on time!"  
"Sorreee! I was up late finishing my art project," sighed Kellin as the pair got onto the bus. "It looks great, though, so it was totally worth it."  
Over the bus ride to their high school, Sandy asked him, "have you heard of that senior over at Bell High?"  
"Huh? No," replied Kellin. "Why?"  
"Ohmigosh, so you know how Bell is totally homophobic? This senior got outed and everyone totally hates him," explained Sandy. "I feel SO bad for him. He was totally popular before he came out, and then everyone hated him. Apparently, he got beat up once too."  
"What?? I knew Bell was homophobic, but that's horrible! I wouldn't last a day there," Kellin groaned. "Who is he?"  
"I follow him on Instagram," said Sandy, pulling out her bubblegum pink phone. "His name is Vic Foont or something like that." Her long nails tapped against her screen as she opened up the app and pulled up his profile.  
Kellic grabbed the phone and looked closely. The guy in the profile picture was CUTE, and he was tanned and toned. His hair was a bit longer than Kellin's, and a dark brown. Kellic couldn't tell his eye color, but his Insta bio read, "Mexican and proud."  
Kellin handed the phone back to Sandy. "He's hot," he commented. "And his name is Vic Fuentes, not Foont."  
"Whatever," shrugged Sandy. "He is hot, though." Then she changed the subject, and the rest of the bus ride was spent gossiping and teasing each other, and Kellin soon forgot all about the hot gay dude at Bell.

\-----------------------------------------------

The hot gay dude in question wasn't having a very good morning. It was very different from Kellin's, and it started with him waking up his little brother.  
"Mike, you ready to go to school?" he asked, shoving a textbook into his bag.  
"Yeah," responded Mike, his younger brother. "I'm only two years younger than you, you don't have to baby me."  
Vic shrugged. "I still have to drive you to school, so I get to baby you."  
"Fuck off," said Mike, but he was laughing. Then he added more seriously, "you gonna be alright, bro?"  
Vic winced. Ever since he had come out as gay, people had been horrible to him, even the teachers.  
"I'll be fine, Mike. Let's get to Bell." Mike and Vic walked out to Vic's car in silence. Vic drove them to school, and Mike knew better than to pry.  
As they pull up to the high school, Vic sighs and adjusts his red snapback. Before Mike got out, he hesitated and said to his brother, "be careful... Okay?" Vic nodded slightly and gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Mike exited the car, hoisting his backpack over his shoulder.  
As soon as his brother went out of sight, Vic dropped his head onto his steering wheel, groaning. "Fuck school," he muttered, and picking up his backpack, got out of his car and prepared himself for a day of the hell known as Bell High School.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback please :) comments and kudos are greatly appreciated by this smol bean, thanks for reading and have a great day!


	2. Crushed Petals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well maybe Vic shouldn't have told Brad to fuck off, but at least it worked... Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here I'm sorry if this is badly written, I really did try my best but I'm not at my peak performance today. Hope it doesn't suck...

Vic grabbed his backpack and climbed out of his car, swallowing nervously. He walked into his first class of the day, history. After doing a brief scan of the room, he sighed in relief as he noticed that Brad Walberry hadn't arrived yet.   
Brad Walberry was the guy responsible for beating up Vic a month before, and he was pretty slow in the head.  
After setting his stuff down, Vic pulled out his notebook and a pen and waited for class to start. Checking the time, he realized that he had a good five to seven minutes before class would start. He started doodling small flowery designs into his notebook, humming under his breath.  
In a few minutes, his red snapback is knocked off his head. Vic sighed and bent down to pick it up. Brad Walberry had arrived. Vic put his hat back on as Brad walked past, taking the seat directly behind him.  
"Flowers?" snorted Brad from the seat behind him. "How typical for a fag like you, Fuentes."  
"Fuck off," muttered Vic quietly. He suddenly realized what a bad idea that was when he heard Brad's sudden intake of breath behind him. Without warning, Brad's arm shot out to yank the snapback off of Vic's head.  
"Hey, stop it!" exclaimed Vic, twisting around in his seat to face Brad.  
Brad's piggy face was directly in front of Vic's. "Yeah? What are you gonna do? Cry about it?"  
Huffing out a breath, Vic tried to grab his hat back while Brad laughed uproariously. A few other students waiting in the classroom started to take interest, hiding their snickers and smiles behind their hands.  
Vic knew that Brad was way taller than him, so he stood up to try to reach his hat. Brad immediately stood up as well, dangling the red cap even further out of reach, clenching it in one of his meaty hands.  
"Motherfucker! Give it back!" Vic's angry yell was met with Brad's obnoxious laughing. He stopped and glared viscously at Brad with as much hate as he could muster.  
"Or what? Think you can scare me?" taunted Brad.  
"I may be gay, but at least I'm not a COWARD," spat Vic maliciously, "who picks on people half their height and acts like it's cool. It's really just pathetic, how you're too scared to pick apart people your own damn size."  
Bad mistake.  
Brad's face twisted in anger and he grabbed Vic by the arm, ignoring his yelp of suprise and pain as he dragged him out into the hall. "Fuckin' FAG," he growled, twisting his arm as hard as possible.  
Vic wanted to fight back, until he noticed the security cameras in the hall, and an idea crept into his mind.  
Last time Brad beat him up was in the bathroom, where there were no security cameras so he wouldn't be caught. If Vic could provoke Brad enough to want to beat him up right there in that hallway, the security cameras would catch it. Brad could deny it all he wanted to, but the tapes would speak for both of them.  
Swallowing, Vuc decided to provoke Brad further. "Wow, what a coward. Dragging me out into the hallway to rag me up, huh? Didn't want to get caught by the teacher? Acting like you're so tough when really you're just-"  
"Shut up, if you know what's good for you, you little fucker. Don't try me." growled Brad.  
Against Vic's judgement, he kept going. He couldn't believe what he was doing, TRYING to get this man child angry. "Like you'd do anything, you fucking idiot. Let's see if your flabby body can do any damage, Bra-"  
Vic was cut off by Brad's fist slamming into his face.  
"That do enough damage for you, fag?" snarled Brad, obviously proud with his work.  
Vic dizzily put a hand to his forehead and winced when he saw it come away covered with blood. "Shit," he muttered as he felt the warm blood trickle slowly down the side of his face.  
He dimly felt Brad pick him up and he quickly covered his face, trying to block himself from the hits that were sure to come.  
Suddenly Vic felt like the air was slammed out of him, and his head hurt like a fucker. He realized that Brad had picked him up and slammed him into the lockers as he slid down the wall, feeling the cool metal against his back.  
"I told you to shut the fuck up," snarled Brad, standing above him.  
Vic had to squint to make out the huge figure over him because his vision was so blurry.  
Brad punched Vic and slammed him into the lockers again. The noise was starting to attract other students. Knowing that there were other students watching him and he only had a few more moments before they pulled him off of Vic, Brad started punching and hitting Vic with as much gusto as possible.  
Vic could barely hear the students yelling for a teacher over the sound of his pounding head. He let out a groan as Brad slammed his head into the wall so hard that his vision went black for a second.  
After a few seconds, the punches stop and Vic realized that some students were holding a red-faced Brad back. He was yelling at the students to let him go, and the students were actually struggling to stop him from surging forward to attack Vic again.  
"Someone get the principal!" "Where are the teachers??" "Holy shit, look at all the blood-" shouts made their ways over to Vic. Then, one exclamation reached his ears: "someone get his brother! Where's Mike?"  
Vic shut his eyes, fighting back a groan. No, Mike shouldnt see him like this. Vic's the older brother. He's supposed to be strong and tough.  
"Oh my god, I think he fainted-" "where's Mike?" "Why isn't the principal here?" "What the fuck happened?" And then Vic heard Mike's voice- "what happened? Where's my brother?"  
Vic blearily opened his eyes to see his brother pushing through the crowd. "Vic? What the fuck?" Then Mike caught full sight of his older brother and stopped short, eyes going wide. After a second of hesitation, he ran towards his older brother lying on the ground. "Vic! Who did it?" yelled Mike. Vic didn't have the strength to reply.  
Mike wheeled on the crowd, which had quieted considerably. "Who did it? WHO THE FUCK DID THIS?" he screams. A couple students pointed at Brad, who was still struggling to get free from the people restraining him.  
"FUCKER! YOU FUCKER!" yelled Mike, fury and rage filling his face. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR DOING THIS!" He surged forward, only to be held back by his friends.  
"Woah, Mike, calm down," tried Vic's friend, Tony. "Brad will be suspended or expelled. We don't need you to get kicked out, too."  
As Tony talked, Vic's friend Jaime scooped Vic up. "I'm taking him to the nurse." Tony nodded and walked over to help Jaime. Vic felt himself being lifted up. "You alright, Vic?" asked Jaime, concern evident in his voice and eyes. Vic opened his mouth to respond, but everything went black before he had the chance to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd y'all think? Was it good? Bad? Verbal feedback?


	3. Irises and Caffeine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kellic goes to work and just so happens to serve the brother of the hot gay dude ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! In reference to the title, irises symbolize hope, by the way. I really didn't expect people to read or even like my very first chaptered work, so thank you all for actually giving this a chance!

School had ended, and Kellin was walking to the bus that was waiting in front of the school to meet up with Sandy. He climbed in and went straight to the back of the bus, where he and Sandy usually sat.  
Sandy was already there, scrolling through her phone. She glanced up when she saw Kellin out of the corner of her eye and smiled brightly. "Hey hon!" she said, scooting over to give Kellin room. Kellin smiled and sat down, dropping his backpack with a thunk. "Hi Sandy. Watcha doin'?"  
"Scrolling through a cute guy's Instagram," she responded, without looking up.  
"What? Lemme see," said Kellin, grabbing the phone from her hand.  
Sandy let out a little shriek, which got her some weird stares from the other students on the bus. "Kellin I SWEAR, if you like any of his pictures, I am going to KILL you!"  
Kellic smiled breezily. "Ooh, he IS cute. Don't worry, Sandy. I won't double ta-" his eyes widened. "Sandy, you're TWO YEARS deep into his Instagram feed!"  
Sandy groaned and covered her blushing face with her hands. "I was... just.. curious about him," she offered, her face a deep red. "Really."  
"Curious? Girl, that's called a crush," cackled Kellin, giving the phone back to Sandy. "Who is he?"  
"Well, he's a junior at our school," said Sandy. "His name is Alex, and he's captain of the school's swim team. And he's really cute."  
"Ohmigosh, a lowly freshman crushing on a junior?" gasped Kellin dramatically. "What a love story."  
"Oh my god, Kells, you're soooo embarrassing," groaned Sandy, but she was laughing.  
"Does he know you exist?" asked Kellin, more seriously.  
"Yes. He's my brother's best friend. He comes over all the time, and we talk sometimes. And he's really cute," giggled Sandy.  
"Yeah, I think you've mentioned that he's cute. At least you have a chance, girl! Go for it! Ask him out next time he goes to your house." grinned Kellin. "He'll probably be too flattered to say no to you."  
"Noooooo, I can't do that!" cried Sandy. "He probably just thinks of me as his friend's dorky little sister!"  
"You? Dorky? With your gorgeous hair? Or your eyes? Or the fact that you have, like, the clearest skin ever? No way!" reassured Kellin. "I know, like, five guys and three girls who'd date you in a heartbeat."  
"No way," scoffed Sandy, flipping her long black hair. "I'll just wait until I'm at least a sophomore."  
"And wait a whole year? But another girl could snatch him up!"  
The bus pulled up to their stop. "I guess," said Sandy, getting ready to leave. "But anyway, where to? Are we studying at my house? Or yours?"  
They got off the bus, and Kellin said, "oh no, remember? I got that job at Starbucks last month. I have to go to work after school from now on."  
"Oh right." Sandy frowned. "Now I have to save my gossip for Friday. It was some good tea, too." Then she paused. "... Your off day IS Friday, right?"  
"Yeah," said Kellin, laughing. "Bye Sandy." He leaned forward and pecked her on her cheek goodbye, like he always did. Sandy responded with a peck on his other cheek and a hug. "Bye Kells," she grinned. Then the two best friends parted ways.  
Kellin walked home, a slight smile on his lips, thinking about the past year. He had been so nervous coming out as gay in eighth grade, but now, in ninth grade, he had so many friends and everyone had been so accepting. He adjusted his flower crown and grinned, thinking about when he came out to Sandy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
'Sandy? I, uh, need to tell you something.'  
'Kells? You okay? What's up?'  
*deep breath* 'Sandy, I'm... I'm gay.'  
Silence.  
'Sandy? You're not... grossed out or anything, are you?'  
'No way, Kells.' *laughter*. 'I honestly kind of suspected.'  
'What?? How??'  
'I'm kidding, hon. But you know I love you, regardless of your sexuality, right Kellin?'  
'... Yeah. Thanks Sandy. Love you too.'  
'Alright. Bye Kellin.'  
'Bye.'  
'Oh, one more thing-'  
'Huh?'  
'I'm so proud of you for having the courage to tell me.'  
'Thanks, Sandy. You know what? I'm pretty darn proud of me, too.'  
*laughter*. 'Bye, Kellin. Love you.'  
'Love you too, Sandy. Bye.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kellic smiled, remembering how scared he had been to tell his parents and post about it on his social media pages. Luckily, nobody was especially mean to him, and those who weren't quite comfortable with his sexuality learned that regardless of his gayness, he was a nice kid to talk to.  
After getting home, Kellin tossed down his backpack and changed into a comfortable grey sweater, checking his Snapchat and Twitter. After a quick break, he walked to the Starbucks where he worked, which was only a five minute walk from his home.  
He walked into the small store, inhaling the scent of coffee. Alice, one of his co-workers, waved at him from behind the counter where she was taking an order. He smiled and waved back at her as he walked behind the counter. Throwing on an apron over his sweater and fixing his hair, he walked over to the cash register to start his shift.  
Kellin looked up as the next customer- well, customers- walked in. It was a sad-looking guy with tattoos, accompanied by his friends. And even though it wasn't on purpose, Kellin could hear bits and pieces of their conversation. One friend said to the tattooed guy (or Sad Guy, as Kellin had dubbed him) "C'mon Mike, let's get you a coffee or a frappe or something to cheer you up."  
"I guess," sighed Sad Guy. "I'm just- I'm just so damn worried about Vic."  
Another guy wearing a beanie told him, "I'm sure your brother will be okay. And at least the fucking idiot who beat him up got expelled from school."  
Sad Guy gave Beanie a smile. "Thanks, Tony."  
The small group of three made their way up to the register, and Kellin overheard "I can't believe Vic got beat up for being gay."  
Kellin's eyes widened slightly. Beat up for being gay? Damn, whatever high school these guys went to was horrible.  
Beanie smiled at Kellin. "Hey how was your day? And can I get a caramel frappe?"  
Kellin smiled. "Sure. What size? And can I get a name for that order?"  
"A tall, please," said Beanie. "And the name is Tony."  
"Got it," said Kellin, pulling out a cup and writing on it in Sharpie. And, on whim, he doodled a small cartoon-like turtle onto the cup.  
The next guy came up, smiling widely. "Hey! Grande vanilla bean frappe for Jaime, please."  
Kellic raised an eyebrow, not unkindly. "I don't think I can spell that, sorry."  
"No biggie," grinned Jaime. "J-A-I-M-E."  
"Oh, okay!" laughed Kellin. "I was about to spell it with an 'h'!"  
Jaime gave another laugh in response, eyes crinkling up in mirth. And because Kellin decided that the Jaime guy was cool, he drew a small panda on his cup.  
Next was Sad Guy's turn to order. "Hi," said Kellin softly. Sad Guy gave a slight smile. "Hi," he responded, eyes scanning the chalkboards on which the menu is written. "Uh, can I get a decaf-"  
Jaime interrupted with a grin and a "naw bro, you need caffeine."  
Sad Guy gives a slight laugh. "Okay, then just a tall Flat White."  
Tony shook his head, grinning. "Venti," he corrected. "You're getting a Venti."  
"I can't drink that much," protested Sad Guy.  
"You sucked down three frappes once. I think you can."  
"Alright, a venti Flat White please," grinned Sad Guy.  
Kellin smiled. "Name?"  
"Mike," supplied Sad Guy.  
After writing that down on a cup, Kellin doodled a quick giraffe onto the cup along with the words, 'cheer up and have a great day!'  
The small group made their way over to a table in the corner, talking amongst themselves as they walked. Kellin smiled and gave the cups to Alice, who smiled flirtatiously at him and started making the drinks. With a wince, Kellin remembered that he hadn't told anyone at work that he was gay yet.  
After the orders are done, Kellin carried them over to the counter, calling out, "drinks for Mike, Jaime and Tony?"  
Tony walked up to get the drinks and thanked Kellin with a smile. He brought them back to the table he and his friends were sitting at and passed them out. Kellin watched them for a second before he turned back to help the next customer, smiling slightly, still thinking about the conversation he had overheard. 'Huh, that sounds a bit like the hot gay over at Bell, whos' name is Vic, too,' thought Kellin. Brushing off the enclounter, he smiled at the next customer. "Hi, welcome to Starbucks. How may I help you?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it good? Bad? Verbal feedback please, I absolutely love getting comments from you guys :D have a nice day! *smoops away*


	4. Oak Leaves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bro bonding time :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! Oak leaves normally mean strength, by the way. I've recently become interested in plant symbolism and naming my chapters after the plant that relates the most to it? Idk I just thought it was interesting. Hope y'all enjoy!

Vic woke up on his back, dazed and confused. 'Where am I...?' he thought, and sat up.  
Bad idea. Very, very, VERY bad idea. Instantly, pain racked his ribs and he let out a low grunt, eyes tearing up slightly. He quickly laid back down, cradling his ribs.  
Vic could feel either one very large bruise or several bruises littering his ribs. Carefully lifting just his head to check, he could see that his stomach, chest and arms were mostly black, blue and purple. Although there was the occasional hint of green.  
Vic dropped his head back down onto the uncomfortable pillow-like thing. It felt like cardboard. He took in his surroundings, realizing that he was still at school, although this time he wasn't surrounded by yelling students. He was in the nurse's office.  
Sighing, he stared up at the ceiling. He lifted a hand to brush his hair away from his face, only to feel something large and block-like on his head. 'What the...'  
It was a bandage. He pressed down slightly and instantly regretted it as his head swam with pain. It felt like fire was spreading through his skull.  
He dropped his hand back onto the so-called bed. 'Why do beds in nurse's offices always feel like fucking cardboard?' he wondered to himself. Just then, he heard the click of the door opening.  
Nurse Powell, the school nurse, strode in. She looked down at Vic in disdain, painted red lips curling up in distaste. "Are you... Vic Fuentes?" she boomed loudly, reading off of her clipboard, even though he was the one there.  
"Yes," he croaked, and immediately wanted water. Damn, his throat was dry. He licked his slightly cracked lips and wished for this to be over with.  
"Your... brother... thought you should go to a hospital, as you could have a 'concussion', but I told him that was nonsense. Nothing going on here that Nursie can't take care of." Nurse Powell said this like it was something to brag about.  
Vic turned his head to roll his eyes, so 'Nursie' wouldn't see it. He obviously did not have a concussion, but in cases like these, he should have gone because there was always a chance.  
"Now, the Principal is going to come in to speak to you. Answer his questions and then we'll see what comes after that," snapped the Nurse, and with that she turned on her heel and briskly walked away.  
'What the fuck? The principal??' Why was he coming in? What was going on? Vic stared up at the ceiling again. God, that tile pattern was awful.  
The door opened again, and the Principal, Mr. Shellworth, walked in. He strode in and pulled up a chair next to the flat sheet of cardboard-like foam that Vic was lying on.  
"Now, Vic, you probably know why I'm here. I want to talk to you about why you attacked a fellow student," he said, brushing nonexistent lint off of his sleeves.  
"What? I didn't attack him, he attacked me!" Vic cried in disbelief.  
"Not according to the story Brad gave us. Apparently, he was asking for a pencil to borrow and you flew into a rage, dragging him into the hallway and beating him up. Now, I'd like to know what warranted this behavior. You were always a good student through your first three years of high school. Good grades, good manners. Teachers loved you. What do you think happened to you?"  
Vic exhaled angrily. "I think, Mr. Shellworth, that if you check those security cameras of yours, you'll find that Brad's story is totally wrong."  
Mr. Shellworth blinked. "Security tapes? The ones in the hall?"  
"Yep. Just watch those tapes and we'll see who's the victim now."  
Mr. Shellworth rose from his seat with a nod. "That I'll do. I'll be back in a bit." He got up and walked to the door. He pulled it open to see Mike standing at the door. "What in tarnation?"  
Mike gave a yelp, obviously not expecting to see the principal looming over him. "Uh, I'm here to see my brother." He shifted his feet nervously, clutching a Starbucks cup in his hands.  
Mr. Shellworth nodded and held the door open for Mike, who scurried quickly in. Then the principal walked away.  
"Vic?" asked Mike carefully. "You alright, bro?" He crossed the room and sat down in the chair the principal had previously been sitting in.  
Vic nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He tried to push himself up with his elbows, but didn't have enough strength in his tired body. "Hey little bro, can you help me up?"  
Mike nodded and helped Vic sit up, putting a few pillows (with the texture of cardboard) underneath his head so that when Vic put his head down, he would be in a relatively upright position.  
"Thanks, Mike," sighed Vic, who was much more comfortable. Mike, however, was not in a calm mood.  
"Do you know how fucking bad you scared me today? You scared me so fucking bad. SO bad, I thought you were maybe gonna have to be in a wheelchair because of brain damage or some other shit." Mike paused to take a shaky breath, tearing up a bit. "And I scared my fucking self, because I was so ready to tear out Brad's throat with my fucking TEETH. Just seeing you lying there, covered in bruises and bleeding and shit scared me so bad. And Vic, when you- when you fucking passed out-"  
"I'm so sorry, Mike," said Vic, taken aback. "I had no idea that I scared you that much."  
"Yeah, well, you did, you fucker. And then when the principal showed up, Brad fed them some bullshit story of it being 'self defense.' I could have hauled off and decked him, right there." Mike clenched his fists in anger.  
"It's okay, Mike. The security cameras got it all," said Vic.  
"... what?"  
"The security cameras. In every hall. You don't think I'd be dumb enough to get beat up where there'd be no evidence, did you?" joked Vic, trying to lighten the mood.  
"You fucker, did you get him mad on purpose??" asked Mike, incredulously. "You've got to be kidding."  
"No, he was already mad. I only got the idea after he already dragged me into the hall and I saw the cameras."  
Mike dropped his head into his hands, groaning loudly. "I can't believe you were TRYING to get him mad."  
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Mike." sighed Vic. "To be honest, I didn't think he'd rag me up this bad."  
Mike frowned at his brother. "If he'd ragged you up any worse, I'd slam HIM into a locker."  
"Oh, by the way, where did this cut on my head come from? It hurts like hell and I don't even know where I hit it to make it bleed this hard."  
Mike winced. "You got cut on the metal slats of one of the lockers."  
"Shit."  
"But don't you EVER do that again. Or next time, I'll deck you myself," said Mike.  
"I'm sorry, little bro," sighed Vic, giving Mike a hug from his spot in the bed. Mike let out a sniffle, and Vic could feel himself tearing up as well.  
Mike immediately hugged back. "Just... be careful, okay?"  
"Yeah. I love you, Mike." And then Vic could tell he was actually going to shed a few tears.  
"Love you too, Vic," sniffed Mike. When the brothers broke apart, they were both crying a little. Vic gave a little laugh to try to lighten the mood, and Mike gave a small smile.  
Then Vic frowned at the Starbucks cup. "You didn't sneak out of school to get coffee, did you?"  
"Uh, Vic, school ended two hours ago. You and Brad are still here because you guys need to talk about the... situation," explained Mike. "Tony and Jaime took me to get coffee to cheer me up."  
"Did it work?" asked Vic, smiling. He made a mental note to thank Tony and Jaime when he saw them again.  
"Yeah, and the barista was really nice. He was a freshman, I think, probably over at Liberty high. And look what he drew on my cup!" Mike turned his cup around to show Vic his coffee sleeve. On it was an adorable, well-drawn cartoonlike giraffe. "It took him maybe thirty seconds," grinned Mike.  
Vic leaned forward to inspect the Sharpie giraffe closer. "That's a really cute giraffe," he commented. "Thirty seconds?"  
"Yep," confirmed Mike. "And he-"  
The door opened, interrupting Mike mid-sentence. Mr. Shellworth came in, and behind him was-  
Brad?  
Vic's insides twisted in panic when he saw Brad's face. Mike glared with pure hatred at Brad, who met his gaze with am indifferent smirk.  
"Mike, if you could leave us alone for a bit," said Mr. Shellworth.  
Mike nodded and cast a worried glance at Vic before picking up his mostly empty cup and leaving.  
"Sit," said Mr. Shellworth, pointing at the chair Mike had been sitting in. Brad grudgingly lowered his bottom into it while the principal pulled up another chair.  
When Mr. Shellworth was comfortably seated, he announced, "I have come to a descision."  
Brad smirked at Vic, clearly thinking that Vic would be suspended.  
"Brad, you're going to be expelled from Bell high school."  
Vic's eyes widened. Harsh.  
"What?" Brad yelled incredulously. "He was the one that tried to beat me up first! He dragged me into the hall and I only reacted in self defense! You can't expel me just because he has more bruises on him-"  
"No, but I can expel you because the security tapes prove you wrong," said Mr. Shellworth calmly. "I expect you to only return to school this week to pack up your locker. You will not be attending classes. I will notify all of your teachers about this."  
Brad sputtered furiously, face going an unholy shade of dark purple. "What- I- I didn't-"  
Vic was starting to worry about the color of Brad's face. Magenta couldn't be a healthy skin tone.  
"And Vic, the school board and I have decided to give you one week off of school to recover and heal from your wounds," continued Mr. Shellworth. "You will not have homework or need to make up any tests from this week. You are both dismissed." The principal rose from his seat and briskly walked out the door, flicking invisible lint from his shoulder pads.  
Brad jumped up from his seat, fists clenched. He turned to Vic, who gave a small squeak of fear.  
"Fuck you," hissed Brad. "Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!" He punched the wall, almost splitting the drywall apart, and ran out.  
Vic was frozen in fear, eyes wide and staring at the dent that Brad's fist left in the wall.  
The sound of the punch was bringing him back to when Brad's fists were raining down on him, beating him, bruising him, hurting him...  
Mike came in silently, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, Vic, let's go home. Jaime and Tony will drive us home because you can't today. Tony'll take your car back so you won't leave it here. Let's go, alright?" Mike was scared for his brother, scared because he knew that Vic would be permenatly affected by all the damage Brad had inflicted upon him.  
Vic nodded wordlessly as Jaime and Tony came in. They helped him get up and off the bed, and supported him when he walked to Jaime's truck.  
Vic fell in the backseat next to his brother, who pulled him in for a hug. He closed his eyes, shaking, and he could still see the blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback please! No kudos/comment/read goes unnoticed by this smol bean, and I love getting comments from y'all. Have a nice day!


	5. Pear Blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandy gets asked out, and Kellin has to play the matchmaker friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! I'm very sorry I haven't been updating as much as I thought I would. I had no idea there would be so much stuff I had to take care of the week before school starts. Pear blossoms usually symbolize lasting friendships, by the way :) Hope you enjoy!

Kellin woke up with literally no time to spare. "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," he muttered, jumping out of bed and doing a weird floppy thing in order to get a pair of sweatpants on while also brushing his hair. He brushed his teeth in record time and jammed an orange-and-white flower crown on top of his head and ran out the door, only pausing to get his backpack. Running quickly towards the bus stop, he saw that the bus was just turning the corner.  
"I'm not late!" he yelped as he slowed to a stop, narrowly avoiding running into Sandy.  
She turned and sighed. "Kells, girl, you need to stop going to sleep so late! It's bad for your health, and believe me, it's bad for your skin, too."  
Kellin winced as he absentmindedly rubbed his hand over his face. "It was a really good part in the book," he defended himself.  
Sandy grinned. "Alright, nerd," she joked. "C'mon, the bus is here." She turned and walked up the steps to the bus, Kellin not far behind.  
The two immediately trailed to the back of the bus and sat down in their usual seats. "Got any good tea to spill?" joked Kellin as he set his bag down.  
"Yes, actually!" said Sandy excitedly. "The school announced that there's going to be, like, a school dance or something. In the website, just yesterday!"  
"Shut up! No way! A dance?" laughed Kellin. "And why were you on the school website yesterday? Who's the nerd now, huh?"  
"I was just checking my grades! And... Stuff."  
"Stuff, as in... ogling at the pictures of the swim team? Or, more specifically, ALEX?" grinned Kellin.  
"Oh my god, I swear, when you get your first crush I'm going to be as embarrassing as you are right now!" shrieked Sandy, smacking him lightly on the arm.  
"Tough luck," grinned Kellin. "I've already had my first crush."  
"What?? And you didn't tell me?" asked Sandy incredulously.  
"Well, it wasn't even that big of a crush. And I didn't tell you because I wasn't even sure if it was a crush!"  
"At least give me a hint," pleaded Sandy. "I'm your best friend, right?"  
"Alright, you can ask anything you want about him."  
"Yes!"  
"But there's a catch," continued Kellin, waggling his eyebrows. "They have to be questions that I can answer with only a yes or a no."  
"What?! But that's hardly anything!" complained Sandy.  
"Not a yes or no question," sang Kellin, just to be annoying.  
"Ugh, fine. Do I... know him?" asked Sandy.  
"Nope."  
"Is he hot?"  
"No."  
"Cute?"  
"Yes."  
"Is he a freshman?"  
"Yes."  
"Is he in any of our shared classes?"  
"Yes."  
At this, Sandy gave a happy squeal. "Yessss! Finally getting somewhere! Alright, is he in our Calc class?"  
"No."  
"Band?"  
"No."  
"Art?"  
"Yes."  
"Alright, alright... is it Timmy Hidgewood?"  
"Nope."  
"Albert Stalls."  
"Absolutely not."  
"Jeremy Cantor?"  
"No!"  
"Aaaagh, I give up! That's all the cute guys in our art class!" groaned Sandy. "Pleeeeeeaaaase just teeeeeeeeeell meeeeeee!"  
"Okay, calm down," laughed Kellin. "It was Albert Stalls-"  
"WHAT?!"  
"-for a week," finished Kellin, laughing maniacally.  
"Oh my gosh, Kellin, you little shit! I thought you still liked the person you were making me guess!" complained Sandy, but she was laughing. "Albert Stalls is pretty cute, though."  
"Not as cute as your Alex, huh?"  
"Kellin!"  
"Sorry," apologized Kellin, still giggling. "Wait, gimme your phone. I wanna see his Instagram and stuff."  
Sandy handed him her phone. "Here. But if you double-tap anything, I will throw you off of this bus and eat all of the cookies you have stashed in your backpack!"  
"Ouch, harsh," grinned Kellin, opening up the app. "Oh shit, he's got muscles. Like, nice muscles."  
"Yeah," signed Sandy with a grin on her face. "Really nice muscles."  
"Ewww, Sandy! He likes pizza bagels! Okay, I can't take him seriously anymore," giggled Kellin.  
"What? Lemme see," yelped Sandy as she snatched her phone back. She glanced at her phone. "Oh, ew. But it's just pizza bagels!" She handed the phone back to Kellin, who started scrolling.  
"Ooh, he's a supporter of the Rainbow community. Good."  
"Well yeah, I would never crush on someone who didn't."  
"Holy shIT HIS DOG IS SO CUTE!" squealed Kellin. "So fluffy! So soft looking!"  
Sandy laughed. "His dog's name is Muffin. Cute, huh? Now gimme my phone back, we're at school already."  
Kellin reluctantly handed the phone back to a grinning Sandy. "Muffin is a cute name for a dog," agreed Kellin as they walked off the bus and into their high school.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Kellin groaned as he set his tray down on the lunch table. Sandy looked up at him questioningly, chopsticks half poised to pick up another bite of kimchi. "Kells? What's wrong?"  
"Stupid Mrs. Reynolds," he muttered. "Took off an entire eight points from my book report because she 'didn't like my handwriting'. Ugh."  
"Whaaaaaat? So you got a ninety two? Just for that?"  
"No, a ninety. Because I 'didn't put my name in the right space'. Ugh."  
"She seems like a bitch. At least I have Mr. Bootchicall. Even though I always want to laugh whenever he says his name."  
Kellic giggled, lifting his eyes up. "Mr. Bootchicall does sound pretty ridiculous," he said.  
"There's that laugh! There's the sparkle in those eyes!" grinned Sandy. "Cheer up, Kells. Grades in high school may count for GPA, but colleges actually look more for improvement and gradual success more than they focus on grades that are the same through and through."  
"Thanks, Sandy. You're a really great friend," said Kellin with a smile. Then his smile turned a bit mischievous. "Hey, doesn't Alex have the same lunch period as us?"  
"Yeah... why?" asked Sandy, taking a large bite of her pork bun.  
"Because he's headed right towards you!" cackled Kellin.  
Sandy squeaked, mouth stuffed with pork bun. Her eyes widened and she gave Kellin a look that said, 'I seriously hope you're kidding because my mouth is stuffed with pig meat right now and I swear if you're not kidding I'm going to look like a freak in front of my crush.' Kellin just grinned at her, which wasn't very reassuring.  
"Um... Sandy?" asked a voice from behind her. Sandy's eyes widened even more and she quickly swallowed her mouthful. "Y-yeah?" she asked, spinning around.  
There was a tall guy standing behind Sandy, and he looked like the guy that Sandy was always stalking the Instagram page of- Alex.  
He shifted a bit, casting his eyes to the side. "I was, uh, wondering..."  
Sandy looked like she was holding her breath. Kellin sure was.  
"If you.. uh.. " Alex licked his lips nervously, face turning pink. "If you would- I mean, if you..." he paused, then rushed on with "were having a nice day! Yeah, uh, if you were having a nice day so far..."  
Kellin dropped his head onto the table with a thunk. The poor guy was obviously trying to ask Sandy out, but he was just too shy to do it!  
"Oh, um. I'm doing fine. What about you?" Sandy sounded a bit disappointed when she responded.  
"I, uh, I'm doing good. Thanks for, uh, thanks for asking."  
There was an awkward silence.  
Kellic decided to step in. "Girl, we gotta go check out that new display in the trophy case..." he dragged Sandy past Alex, who looked bewildered, and into the hallway.  
"Well? Assess and report. How do you think that went?" asked Kellin, once they were far out of earshot.  
Sandy sighed, nervously smoothing out her skirt. "I thought he was going to ask me out for a second, but he didn't. He was just being nice, I guess." She looked down sadly.  
"Girl, no. None of that. He was totally going to ask you out. I could TELL. He just was too shy to do it or something. Chin up, Sandy. If he doesn't like you, then there is something wrong with him. Okay?"  
Sandy sighed. "I guess..." she said glumly.  
"Hey. Crushing on someone is hard. But if he can't like you for you, then he's not good. Alright, hon?" said Kellin, a bit more gentle this time.  
"Yeah, okay," said Sandy, smiling slightly. "Okay, Kellin. Thanks for having my back for me."  
Kellic smiled at his best friend. "I'll always have your back, Sandy. Now c'mon, let's go inside."  
They walked back to their table and sat down again. Sandy picked up her chopsticks and started eating again while Kellin quickly looked around, trying to look nonchalant. A quick scan around the room showed that Alex was back at his own table, looking glum. Hmm, maybe Kellin could play a bit of matchmaker.  
When Sandy stood up to throw her trash away, Kellin got up and walked over to where Alex was sitting. He tapped him on the shoulder and snickered when the swimmer spun around, alarmed.  
"Oh, hey. You're Sandy's friend... right?" Alex finally asked, as the chatter around him died down.  
"Mmhm. I'm giving you until the end of the day to ask finally Sandy out. I know you want to. And you WILL ask Sandy out. Got it?" Kellin smiled sweetly at Alex. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Y'all are my OTP and it will happen."  
"Uh... o-okay," stuttered Alex.  
"Good." And with that, Kellin turned around and walked back to his own table, looking like he had been sitting there the whole time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sandy and Kellin were walking out of their last class together, all set to get on the bus and go home. As they were chatting together, Alex ran up and stopped in front of Sandy.  
"Uh... hi," said Sandy, finally.  
"Hi, I wanted to ask you-"  
"My day's been great," signed Sandy, looking downcast again.  
"No, no! That's-that's not what I was going to ask. Will you, uh, go out with me? Please?"  
Sandy stared at him, eyes wide. A slow blush was creeping over her face.  
"Uh. Will you say yes?" Alex was starting to get nervous at the time it took for Sandy to recollect her thoughts.  
"Uh, yeah! Yeah, totally!" Sandy said, quickly smoothing out her hair and skirt. "Yeah, totally!"  
Alex grinned. "Wait, really? You'll actually go out with me?"  
"I mean, definitely! I will! When?" she asked, frantically straightening her sweater.  
"Well, I know where you live already because of your brother, so... I'll pick you up in three days? At maybe 6:30 to get dinner or coffee?"  
"Friday? Okay, yeah, I can do that! Friday's good, okay," said Sandy, eyes still wide.  
"Okay, well, bye then. I'm, uh, really looking forward to it," said Alex, grinning so wide his smile stretched almost all the way across his face.  
"Okay, bye," said Sandy, seemingly in a daze. She waved to him as he jogged to the school gym to get changed for swim practice.  
As soon as he was out of earshot, she turned to him, eyes strangely unfocused. "You saw that, right, Kellin? It really happened... right? Did it really happen?" I got asked out by Alex?"  
Kellic laughed, taking her hand in his. "Yes, it did, girl. I'm so proud of you!! It happened! You just got asked out! By Alex!"  
"Wow," said Sandy, still a bit out of it. "I just got asked out by Alex, and I'm going out with him on Friday." Then she suddenly turned towards Kellin, snapping out of it. "Kellin! Friday's your off day, and we can't hang out at night! I'm so sorry, I should have-"  
"Girl, no. Shhhhh, I'll help you get ready for your date. And we can hang out then. And we can always hang out next week. Don't blame yourself for getting asked out."  
Sandy smiled. "Okay. And I WILL need some help getting ready for the date. Thanks so much Kells. You're such a good friend."  
"Don't I know it," grinned Kellin, pretending to flip his hair. "C'mon, let's go home. I've got a job to get to." He linked their arms, and together, they walked to the bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback, please :D the ending is really cheesy, though...  
> Also, I am SO excited to write about when Kellin and Vic FINALLY meet! Every read/comment/kudos is greatly appreciated :) Have a nice day!


	6. Thornless Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic spends some time at a local Starbucks and with a certain flower crown wearing boy ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Urielyodd here! I'm sorry that I update less frequently, school has started and I hate it. Also, thornless roses often mean 'love at first sight.' I don't really believe in that sort of thing, but it sounded cool so....

At home, Vic checked his watch. 4:00. School should be ending soon, he mused. He got up to make himself a cup of coffee, only to find that the machine was broken. "Dammit," he muttered, annoyed. If the machine was fucked, how could he get rid of his coffee craving?  
Sighing, Vic slid his guitar off of his lap and onto the floor. He got up and stretched, wincing as his bones cracked. He should probably get some excercise. So, he decided to walk to Starbucks. Excercise and coffee. Might as well get two in one, right?  
He frowned at himself in the mirror, running his fingers through his messy hair. He should probably fix that.  
After one last stretch, Vic changed into a red t-shirt, skinny jeans and a pair of converse. He checked his appearance once more before he headed out the door, humming underneath his breath. He still couldn't figure out what should come next in the song he was working on.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vic walked into the Starbucks, groaning appreciatively when a blast of air conditioning hit him. It was pretty darn hot outside, so he pulled his slightly sweaty hair up into a ponytail so the cool air could hit the back of his neck. There wasn't a line, so he walked towards the barista, who currently had his back turned.  
"Uh, hello?" he said, and the barista turned around. When he caught sight of Vic, his eyes opened wide and his mouth fell a bit open.  
Oh, right. The cut and bruise on the side of his head. He had forgotten about that, and pulling his hair back and away from his face made it stand out. Vic, however, took the moment to study the guy behind the counter.  
The first thing Vic noticed was his wide set eyes, which were the prettiest, ice-burg blue color and were framed by sets of long, dark lashes. The next thing Vic saw was his very cute nose and pretty pink mouth. Vic then noticed the guy's shoulder length hair, which was black, shiny and looked really soft. There was an orange-and-white flower crown perched in it, the blossoms slightly tangled in his dark hair.  
The last thing Vic noticed was that this guy was really, really cute.  
Like, UNBELIEVABLY cute.  
Holy shit.  
Then the guy stuttered out, "H-hi, what can I get for you today?"  
Vic admired the way his eyelashes fluttered when he spoke and the slightly high, smooth voice he had before answering.  
"Hi, uh, can I get a caramel frappe? Tall, please," said Vic. He's suprised that he hasn't stuttered at all in front of this hyper-attractive guy.  
"You got it," said the barista with a wink, quickly grabbing a cup and Sharpie. While he uncapped the Sharpie, Vic read his name tag stuck on the front of his apron. Kellin. Cute name.  
"What's the name for this order?" he asked, lips curved up into a gentle smile. The Sharpie hovered over the cup so that he would be ready to write.  
"Vic," responded Vic with a smile. The barista's winking was hella cute.  
"Your drink will be ready in a minute," said the barista in a sing-song manner. He handed the cup to his other coworker, a teenage girl with short blonde hair in pigtails that looked slightly familiar.  
Vic found a chair to sit in, and plopped himself down into the soft cushion with a slight sigh.Was it creepy that he was watching the super cute barista named Kellin make drinks? Probably, but Vic didn't care.  
Until the blonde girl sidled up to him, touching him on the arm and saying something, all the while smiling really big and giggling slightly.  
Kellin said something back, not smiling as much, and gently pulled his arm away. He tried to go back to making the drink, but the familiar looking girl kept trying to flirt with him, and at one point she even pushed her breasts together to make them appear bigger.  
Kellin frowned a bit, looking uncomfortable. He averted his gaze away from her and focused on the drink he was making.  
Vic's eyebrows drew together. Couldn't she see that Kellin was obviously very uncomfortable? Then he remembered where he had seen her before: she was a freshman at his high school, who was bragging just last week about her new Starbucks job and the hot guy she shared a shift with.  
As the girl sauntered up to Kellin once more, Kellin quickly popped a cap on top of the whipped cream on the drink he had just finished making and pretty much ran to the pick-up counter to avoid the advancing girl.  
"Tall caramel frappe for Vic!" he called, slightly out of breath. The girl walked over to him anyway, and just as Vic neared the counter, she linked hers and Kellin's arms together.  
Vic frowned when he saw Kellin tense and try to pull his arm away, but the blonde girl had a pretty good grip on his arm.  
"Uh, hey. Vic, right?" asked Kellin, awkwardly handing the drink to him with one hand. He had only the use of one arm, as the other one was busy being preoccupied by a blonde girl. He smiled at Vic, though.  
"Yeah," answered Vic with a smile. "Thanks."  
The blonde girl looked between them, obviously not liking the fact that Kellin wasn't paying attention to her. She glared at Vic, and then opened her mouth to speak.  
"I know you!" she said, faking enthusiasm. "You're a senior at the high school I go to! Aren't you, like, gay, though?"  
She finished off her words with a glance at Kellin, obviously hoping for some kind of negative reaction.  
Vic frowned. "Yeah."  
Kellin smiled (was it just Vic, or did he detect a slight hope in those beautiful blue eyes?). "Cool. Hope you enjoy the frappe, and have a nice day!" He winked at Vic.  
"Thanks, you too," said Vic, grinning. He was relieved that there wasn't any kind of negative reaction from Kellin. As he left, he saw the frown the girl gave Kellin and smirked a little.  
Vic hurried home, sipping occasionally at the cold drink. The frappe was doing very well to cool him down. When he got home, it was finished, so he went to throw the empty cup away.  
However, before he tossed the cup into the recycling bin, he noticed some extra Sharpie on the sleeve. Frowning, he pulled the sleeve off of the cup and looked at it. His confusion slowly turned into a warm, fuzzy joy as he saw what the Sharpie was: a cartoon monkey hanging from a tree branch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback? I appreciate all comments, whether they're good or bad. I'm sorry this is so short! I'm almost rushing a bit to get this done. Also, have I expressed how stunned I am that people actually LIKE this? Thank you all so much, and have a nice day! *smoops away*


	7. Red Dahlias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh jeez, who's the new bus driver? She's such a bitch.... And wait-is that- *GASP* a new student at Liberty High?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! Red Dahlias typically mean betrayal and dishonesty... and it's okay there's none of that here, but some shit is gonna go down...

"TWO MORE DAYS UNTIL YOUR DATE!" screamed Kellin as he tackled Sandy at the bus stop the next morning. He got a lot of weird looks from the other kids, but whatever. They should have been aware of his flamboyant gayness already.  
"Shut uuuuuuup!" groaned Sandy, and her face turned a very dark red. "You don't have to announce it to the world!"  
"Yes, I do," dead panned Kellin. "The world needs to know of your accomplishment."  
Sandy groaned again and covered her smile with her sweater.  
"But seriously, though, I'm super proud of you," said Kellin with a grin, as he noticed the bus was turning the corner.  
"Yeah, I'm super nervous. And really excited," said Sandy, bouncing up on her toes. Then her face turned white. "Oh gosh, what if he decides he doesn't like me anymore? Or that it was a prank or something?"  
Kellin rolled his eyes fondly. That girl was going to drive herself insane.  
"Sandy, you've got nothing to worry about," he reassured as they started boarding the bus. "Really. I could tell from the way he talks and looks at you that he probably likes you just as much as you like him. And maybe more."  
Sandy plopped down into her usual seat. "You really think so?"  
"Girl, I know so. And if there's the smallest chance that we think he's joking or a douchebag, we'll beat his ass together. And if he doesn't like you, then he's blind. Or stupid. Don't stress it, girl. It'll be great. And I always have your back."  
Sandy smiled at Kellin. "Okay. Thanks a lot, Kellin."  
"Anytime," he grinned. He leaned over to hug Sandy, who immediately hugged back.  
"Stop squeezing so tight!" he soon squealed. "You're gonna knock off my flower crown!"  
Sandy laughed, and the two seperated. "Okay, but I've never seen that flower crown before. When and where did you get it? It's super cute!"  
Kellin blushed and reached up to touch the flowers. "I actually made it myself. Yesterday."  
Right, yesterday after work. The crown was delicately balanced circlet with red and brown flowers, and a few leaves in there as well. Kellin would never admit it, but he had made it inspired by Vic. But iT WASN'T CREEPY OR ANYTHING. Kellin had immediately recognized Vic from the picture Sandy had shown him, and realized that the rumor about him getting beat up was true when he saw the bruises and cuts around his forehead.  
Kellin had also been struck slightly dumb by how good looking he was up close.  
So, when he got home, he had made a flower crown with red and brown flowers, because the red reminded him of the red shirt Vic was wearing, and the brown for the way his eyes were the color of chocolate.  
Sandy leaned forward and touched one of the artificial flowers on the crown. "Dang, Kells, you're super good at it."  
Kellin grinned. "Thanks. I actually make most of my flower crowns, but I have bought a few."  
She rubbed a silk petal between her fingers. "But why red and brown? It works suprisingly well, though."  
Kellin blushed. "I dunno... just had some extra flowers and decided to use them," he fibbed.  
"Oh, okay," said Sandy, who totally believed him. "That makes sense. And it looks good."  
The bus came to a screeching halt as it arrived at the school. "Everyone, GET OFF, and GET LOST!" yelled the bus driver.  
Sandy quickly turned to Kellin with wide eyes. "That's not our normal bus driver."  
"Yeah," frowned Kellin as they got up and walked with the rest of the students. As they neared the front, he and Sandy started chatting again.  
"Hey!" yelled the bus driver. Sandy and Kellin were the last ones out of the bus, so they turned to look at her.  
The new bus driver looked like you could use her as a door barrage. She was large, mean looking, and her chin (or, the most prominent one) quivered as she spoke.  
"You," she boomed, pointing at Kellin. "Are you a boy?"  
Kellin flinched. "Yes."  
The lady reached down and grabbed the flower crown off of his head. "Boys shouldn't be wearing shit like this. What are you, a faggot?"  
Kellin nodded slowly.  
"Disgusting," she spat. "Fags are fucking disgusting."  
Kellin didn't say anything.  
"Give it back," said Sandy, glaring at the woman. "He worked really hard on that, and you have no right to take it away from him. Give it back."  
The bus driver turned her glare on Sandy. "You bitch. Shut up, this doesn't involve you," she barked, and Sandy was quiet.  
The woman then turned to Kellin. "Boys shouldn't be wearing this shit," she said again, and in one quick motion, she snapped the crown and crushed it in between her fists.  
Kellin and Sandy gasped.  
Smirking, the woman tossed the broken crown onto the ground and closed the bus doors before driving away.  
Kellin knelt down in the grass and looked at the pieces of his broken flower crown. He felt like crying as he saw that the flowers he had so carefully wrapped together with twine were scattered in the dirt, some crushed.  
Sandy picked up the circlet, which was twisted out of shape and bent into a sort of figure eight. She traced her fingers around it lightly, sighing, and then put it in her bag. The two worked silently, picking up bits of red and brown flowers from the dirt.  
Approaching footsteps made them both look up. Alex was running towards them. "Hi," he said breathlessly when he got there. He immediately noticed the looks on Sandy and Kellin's faces. "What happened?"  
Sandy quietly explained it to him, still picking up small petals. Alex nodded, immediately growing serious. He didn't say anything, just helped them pick up the pieces of the crown.  
When the last petal was in Kellin's hands, he was blinking back tears. He stared at the petals, trying not to cry.  
"Kellin," said Alex softly, breaking the silence. "You know she's wrong, right?"  
Kellin turned to him. "No, she's right. I... I guess I shouldn't be wearing these anymore."  
He walked to a trash can in front of the school, Alex and Sandy trailing closely behind him. He stood over it and held the pieces close to his chest for a moment, and then dropped them in the trash. He heard Sandy's gasp and Alex's intake of breath, but turned and walked into the school. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We have a new student today," announced Kellin's biography teacher. "He's transferred here from Bell High, and let's have him feel welcome here in Liberty High. His name is-" the teacher paused to read the name off of his clipboard. "Brad Walberry!"  
A small round of applause filled the room as a tall, muscular boy stood up in the front. "Hey, I'm Brad. I'm nineteen years old, and I like football and wrestling, and my favorite food is hamburgers."  
Nineteen? He's a senior, then, thought Kellin. He was taking an advanced level biology class, so there were mostly seniors and juniors in the class. There were a couple of sophomores, and Kellin and Sandy were the only two freshman there.  
As Brad sat down, Kellin realized that because he had transferred from Bell, there was a high chance that he would be homophobic. He frowned and reached up to rub the silk petals of his flower crown between his fingers out of habit. When his fingers hit air, he remembered what had happened that morning and he dropped his head.  
There was nothing wrong with wearing flower crowns, right? They made him happy, so why did it matter? But apparently, guys shouldn't be wearing that shit. Kellin frowned. And he was gay. Did that mean he was disgusting? Kellin had never felt ashamed for being gay before, but now he hunched down low in his seat and kept his eyes on the textbook in front of him.  
"Mr. Quinn?"  
"Huh?" asked Kellin, startled out of his thoughts.  
"I asked you a question," said the teacher, peering down at him from his glasses. "Were you not paying attention?"  
"No, no, I, uh," fumbled Kellin. He could hear Brad's snicker from the front of the room and he decided that this Brad was an asshole.  
"Hydrochloric acid," whispered Sandy. "The answer is hydrochloric acid."  
"I was listening. Uh, the answer is hydrochloric acid," Kellin said, quickly.  
"Huh, that is correct," said the teacher, sounding mildly suprised. He turned and addressed the rest of the class, teaching again.  
Kellin whispered to Sandy, "thanks for the save."  
"No problem," she whispered back.  
Kellin turned away again, but he still caught the worry in his best friend's dark eyes.  
His worried started up again. Why was being gay so bad? Was it even bad? Or maybe gay just wasn't normal. Why couldn't he be normal?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At lunch, Sandy noticed how Kellin was mostly picking at his food and not eating. She frowned and put her chopsticks down, swallowing her bite of kimchi.  
"Kellin," she started.  
He looked up from his food. "Yeah?"  
"What're you thinking about?"  
"Nothing," he muttered.  
"Bullshit. Something's bothering you, and I think I know what it is."  
Kellin didn't respond, but stared dejectedly at his food.  
"That lady is wrong. Okay? She's not even close to right. She's just a homophobic lady, Kells," tried Sandy.  
She heard a tray being set down next to her and lifted her eyes, suprised.  
"Hi, Sandy. Can I sit here?" asked Alex with a gentle smile.  
Sandy blushed. "Sure, y-yeah..."  
Alex sat down next to her, smiling, and Sandy couldn't help but smile back. He then caught sight of Kellin, who still looked upset.  
"Hey. Kellin, man," he said.  
Kellin looked up, suprised. "Huh?"  
"Dude, that lady is a fucking idiot. Dudes are allowed to wear whatever they want. YOU are allowed to wear whatever you want. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay. But it is wrong to be homophobic, which is what that lady is."  
Kellin looked at him again. "Yeah, I guess," he said, not sounding very convinced.  
Alex frowned, then leaned over and whispered into Sandy's ear. Her eyes widened and she turned to him. "Are you sure?"  
He nodded. "Yeah."  
"Okay, well, I guess," she stammered, blushing again. Ugh, when would she stop acting like an anime schoolgirl around her crush??  
Alex smiled at her. "I gotta get to practice, see ya around. And Kellin."  
Kellin looked up. "What?"  
"Yo, be proud of who you are. Alright? Bye Sandy." Alex left with one last grin, leaving behind a curious Kellin as to what he and Sandy were whispering about, and a blushing Sandy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback? I've been working on longer chapters but my thumbs hurt because I actually write these all on my tiny iPhone 4 :(  
> I'm sorry for not updating enough, I've been figuring out my sexuality. And guess what? I'm GAY AS FUCK well not really... I'm just pansexual. I'm super scared of coming out, so does anyone have any tips? And I just realized that someone from school has found me on here so they'll know but whatever HI MITALI!! All comments are appreciated, and have a nice day! *smoops away*


	8. Dandelions of the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic's friends decide to suprise him while he's missing school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! I am very sorry about the lack of updates :( I know the chapter title is really flippin cheesy, but WAIT LEMME EXPLAIN so basically dandelions mean 'overcoming hardship' and they're weeds, so like overcoming the hardship of your inner self? Idk I just liked it... Hope you enjoy!

Vic laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was only the second day of his break from school, and he was already bored out of his mind. How the fuck am I going to spend an entire week doing nothing? he wondered.  
Mike had left for school already, and both parents were out of the house and driving to work. Vic checked the time. 8:15. Huh, first period would have started fifteen minutes ago.  
He got up with the intention to pour himself coffee, but stopped and smacked himself on the forehead. "Right, my machine is fucked."  
He pondered going to Starbucks, but then decided it would look way too weird, a high school student getting coffee in the morning.  
Just then, the doorbell rang, startling him. Vic jumped and smacked his knee on the table -"shit"- and hobbled over to the door and opened it.  
"Suprise, mothafucka!"  
"What the fu-" started Vic.  
"We're here to keep you company, you dick. Let us in," said Jaime, squeezing past Vic and into his house with a grin on his face.  
Vic watched with wide eyes as Tony and Mike filed in after Jaime, each carrying some form of video game, snack or movie.  
"What the fuck, did you guys just cut class?" he finally asked, pulling the door shut when they had all come in.  
"Yeah, it's boring anyway. We also figured you'd be bored out of your mind," answered Tony. "Where do you keep your large bowls?"  
Mike pulled open a cabinet and yanked out a large, clear bowl. "Here, use this." Tony poured an entire bag of Doritos into the bowl.  
"That's mom's mixing bowl..." said Vic.  
"Aw, she'll never know," shrugged Mike. "Besides, we'll probably wash it."  
"Probably?" asked Vic. He knew he was acting kind of like a dick, but in truth he actually kind of missed his friends, even though it had only been a day.  
"What movie?" asked Jaime, holding up a few discs.  
"Dude, we should watch 'The Shining'. It's great," said Mike, opening up a bottle of Sprite.  
"We already watched it, though," said Tony. "I want to see 'Ouja'."  
Jaime flipped through the discs. "Let's just watch 'Rings'. I haven't seen it yet, and the reviews are good."  
"Yeah, I'm okay with that," said Mike. "What about you, Vic?"  
"'Rings' sounds pretty good to me," grinned Vic.  
Jaime grinned as he popped the disc into the player. "Pass me the chips, Tony!"

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

"That was the scariest fucking movie I've ever watched," breathed Vic as the end credits rolled.  
"I'm sleeping in your room tonight," said Mike, voice muffled from hiding under a blanket.  
Jaime got up and turned on the lights. "Damn, that was a creepy ass little girl. Wonder how they got the prosthetics on. What'd you think, Tony?"  
Silence.  
"Tony?" asked Jaime nervously. "Where'd he go?"  
Then the lights turned off.  
Jaime, Vic and Mike screamed like little girls.  
"Shitshitshitgodfuckingshit!" swore Mike, ducking under the blanket.  
Vic grabbed Jaime and they pulled the other blanket over themselves. "TONY! IF YOU'RE PULLING SOME KIND OF SHIT, IT'S NOT FUNNY!"  
They waited in silence as they huddled, terrified, under the covers.  
"Did she... did she get Tony?" whispered Jaime.  
"Shut the fuck up!" hissed Vic. "I hear something!"  
"What?" whimpered Mike, and the three of them fell silent, listening.  
Plip.  
Plip.  
Plip.  
Mike gave a small shriek as they heard the sounds of a... liquid... being dripped onto the floor.  
Jaime started to shake as the sound of slow, shuffling footsteps approached them.  
Suddenly, the blanket was ripped away and Vic and Jaime and Mike screamed and screamed and screamed and the lights came on and-

\- "TONY!" yelled Jaime. "YOU ABSOLUTE SHIT!"  
Tony was on the floor, laughing hysterically, blanket in his hand. "Man, you shoulda seen your faces!" he cackled.  
"You should've heard the screams! Damn, that was fucking hilarious!"  
"Tonyyyyyyy!" groaned Mike. "You motherfucker! Fuck you!"  
Vic dropped onto the sofa, shaking his head. "Goddammit, Tony, I was actually really fucking terrified."  
"I know," snorted Tony. "I heard the noise you made."  
"Shut up!" Mike said, throwing a pillow at Tony's head. "You're such a dick!"  
Tony just laughed harder. "You love me all the same, buddy boy."  
Vic was then struck with the thought- 'I ship it.'  
"What time is it?" asked Jaime.  
Tony finally collected himself and said, "it's, like, twelve. Why? You hungry or something?"  
"No, I ate a bunch of chips. I was just curious as to how long we had left. We could fit in a few video games and another movie before Mike and I have to go to soccer practice," said Jaime. "But I anyone else hungry? I can get Taco Bell or something."  
"I'm not really hungry," announced Vic, popping a handful of popcorn into his mouth.  
"Me neither," agreed Mike, and Tony nodded his head.  
Jaime grinned and slid the Mario Kart 8 disc into the player. "Let's race, then."  
Vic grabbed a remote. "I'm kicking your ass, Preciardo!"  
"Same to you, Fuentes," sniggered Jaime as he selected his character and vehicle. "I never lose."

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

"FUCK!" screamed Jaime as Vic's car sailed across the finish line half a second before his (for the tenth time). "Damn you Fuentes!"  
Vic turned to his brother and high-fives him. "You never mess with a Fuentes, bitch!" he crowed as Mike did a fist pump. "Ten in a row!" he shouted gleefully.  
"It's almost time to go," reminded Tony from behind them. "It's, like, two."  
"Ah, we have like two more hours," said Jaime nonchalantly.  
"Practice starts at four, Jaime, as it takes thirty minutes to get there. And we need to change into our uniforms. And Tony still has to drive us," said Mike, rolling his eyes. "We should get going in about and hour."  
"Or the little girl with get you," remarked Tony nonchalantly.  
Mike yelped. "Don't SAY that!"  
Tony grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Mike. "Why? She listening in or something?"  
"Sh-shut up!" said Jaime. "That's really fucking scary!"  
"Whatever," grinned Tony. "Wish I had a recording of your screams, though."

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Mike, Tony and Jaime had left quite a while ago, and the clock read 4:15. With a start, Vic realized that Liberty High had been let out too, and that the cute guy over at Liberty would be at his afternoon job.  
He grinned and decided to walk to Starbucks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback? I'm sorry it's been like two weeks since I last updated, I just procrastinate a lot and I'm naturally a very lazy person. Yknow I've always wondered if anyone besides me actually reads the beginning/end notes authors leave, so if you read this, comment 'it's almost halloyeen'. I should also start making longer chapters, so I'm working on that. Thanks for reading! *smoops away*


	9. Black Tulips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kellin deals with how he feels about how the bus driver treated him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry for the short and crappy update, I've been dealing with some shit and felt like I had to do this.

Kellin didn't even want to go to school. Even if he could tease Sandy about her date in two days. Sighing, he rolled over and stared at the wire rack on his bedside table. 

That wire rack was where he hung his flower crowns, and now, he looked at the different colors and the various types of flowers and felt a smile spreading across his face, as he usually did when he looked at his flower crowns. 

His smile faltered when he remembered the bus driver's words. 

He turned away from the colors and stared instead at his blank, white ceiling. It had only been a short while when his phone buzzed with a text from Sandy. 

Sighing, Kellin unlocked his phone. "Hurry, hon! Bus comes in five minutes!" 

Kellin stared at the text, frowning. Maybe he should go to school. After all, he had a bio test, and his parents wouldn't be happy with him if he missed it. 

He slowly got out of bed and started to dress. He was pulling a light purple sweater over his head when he stopped. Maybe he should wear something less... babyish. 

Kellin tossed the sweater aside and started looking in his closet for something to wear that wasn't bright or pastel. 

After awhile, he finally came across a black tee that he had worn in eighth grade and a pair of faded jeans. He pulled a gray jacket over it all and looked in the mirror. 

Good. Nothing like a girl. 

Of course, there was nothing he could do to change his naturally soft features or wide eyes and long lashes or pink lips. 

He wished he could. 

He sighed, grabbed his backpack and phone and left.


	10. Blooming Asters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There will always be someone there to love you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes hello Uriellyodd here! I hardly ever update now and I'm very sorry about that, just depression and stuff getting in the way.

Kellin trudges his way to the bus stop, eyes down and head low. That way, nobody can see how feminine his facial features are.  
"Kellin!" He hears Sandy's voice calling to him, and - "hey man!"  
The voice is familiar. Alex? What was he doing here? Kellin raises his head. Alex is standing there, grinning. Wearing a skirt. Granted, it's a cute skirt, it's light purple with darker purple ruffles underneath. FRILLS. He's wearing a white tee over it with several flower designs along the neckline.  
"Alex. What the hell are you wearing?" asks Kellin incredulously. "Is that a skirt? What are you doing here? You don't ride the bus!"  
Alex grins. "I went to Sandy's house this morning and borrowed her skirt."  
"Why?" Kellin asks again, raising an eyebrow.  
"So you wouldn't feel left out and bad about yourself," he answers matter-of-factly, and turns to Sandy. "Sandy, how's my hair? Does it look okay?" he asks, running a hand through his hair and adjusting the position of his glasses. "I feel like I look cute, but I don't know if my nails go with my outfit."  
Kellin looks at Alex's nails, and they're painted a light purple with white designs on them.  
He clears his throat. "They, uh, they look good with the outfit. A little light, though, you could have matched the polish to the ruffles on the skirt."  
"Yeah, that'd be cute," says Sandy, studying him. "Maybe I could do your eyeshadow dark purple, to coordinate it better."  
"Hey, uh," says Kellin softly. "I really appreciate you for doing this. I, uh, thanks."  
Alex turns and grins. "You're welcome, dude! It was Sandy's idea."  
Sandy kisses Kellin's cheek lightly. "You know I love your smile."  
Kellin smiles shyly down at the ground. "Thanks, guys. Really."  
His smile fades a bit as the bus pulls up. He takes a deep breath as he sees that the bus driver from the day before is driving the bus.  
Sandy gets on first, and the bus driver hardly looks at her. Kellin gets on next, not looking at the lady. He doesn't get stopped and passes by without difficulty. He and Sandy start walking to their usual seats when he hears the bus driver shout, "and just what do YOU think you're doing, getting on my bus? What kind of tranny shit is this?"  
And Alex's low voice, "ma'am, I need to get to school."  
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF MY BUS!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback? I really highly doubt anybody actually reads these but whatever, they're fun to write anyways. Have a nice day!

**Author's Note:**

> How was it? Good? Bad? Verbal feedback please :) and have a nice day! Love y'all!


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